Photos Here
Pauline Walker reflects on the 24 Hour World Championships – DRUMMONDVILLE 2007
Pre Race Thoughts – Nervous but Confident
Realistically the Russians and Japanese are favourites – let them fight over gold and silver however Team GB wouldn’t be here if they didn’t think we were capable of good performances. My own personal target is to take the Scottish record further – 130 miles perhaps? Failure is not an option and by that I mean giving up and giving in. If I have given my all and not achieved my target it is not failing – it is an experience and a lesson to take away and learn from: what could have been done differently? How could I improve? What can I do to get that bit extra?During training I worked harder than ever before, was totally focussed and even enjoyed the challenge of fitting in the miles between work and sleep. My first week of taper saw me have a bit of a confidence wobble, I became very jittery with nerves. My second taper week was a bit better I had discovered that on 2006 performances I was ranked 18th – it gave me hope that, like all runners and joggers, I wouldn’t be last. During my final taper week I regained my focus, my kit bag was packed. I was as ready as I was going to be. I had trained harder than ever before, I felt good, and I felt confident. I had covered 128 miles previously – I can do that and more! I just wanted to get out there, get on with it and show them what this wee Scots wifie could do! However, the words “elite”, “international” and “Pauline” all in one sentence – aye right! Is what I think when I run them through in my mind. I keep looking over my shoulder expecting a hand to fall upon it with the challenge “hey you – what are you doing here?” But no, here I am in a British vest – I’ve sneaked in the back door and no one’s noticed. The first time was in Italy for the European 24 hour championships, this time I’m in Canada to challenge the world’s best 24 hour athletes! Oo-err – a wee quiver starts in my lips, through my chin and rattles down my spine leaving Goosebumps along my shoulders and back, then my tummy flips over and I can’t swallow.
Right missus get a grip you’ve got a job to do, stop faffing and get on with it. For the next 24 hours (1440 minutes) I will focus on only one thing and that is moving forward, strong and steady. I may go slowly, I may speed up, I will certainly have a few moans, I will hurt, and I might even have a little cry but I WILL NOT STOP until the end.
Post Race Thoughts – The Aftermath
It is now a week since the run and time to reflect on my performance. It was hot, but yeah I can do hot – I’ve done the Comrades Marathon in South Africa and survived and during my first 24 hour race in Hull the thermometer tipped 32 degrees during the afternoon – I wasn’t scared of the heat. What I hadn’t done was train in the Botanic Gardens Orchid House! The humidity was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. I hadn’t felt comfortable in the first few hours I put that down to nerves. It was hot and it wasn’t long before I requested the white hat I had bought the previous day, it was likened to something Bill and Ben would have worn, my “flobalob” hat kept the sun from my face and neck – it did the job, this wasn’t a fashion show. At last at seven hours I found my groove and relaxed, this however didn’t last long, my tummy was a bit rumbly, a wee visit to the loo and I hoped it would settle down.
It got dark very quickly, about half eight, but when was it going to cool down? I had welcomed the rain earlier but this wasn’t Scottish rain it was warm, the water that had bounced down then gently rose into the air, a lung to gill transformation may have been useful. My guts were now working overtime, my stomach was painful and whatever I ate didn’t stay long, very quickly I had a wiggly wheel, it wasn’t long before it fell off and I was in gold medal position for face pulling whenever Fiona tried to feed me anything. I had fifteen hours to go and it was going to be a very long time. I was in a GB vest and my new mantra was “never give in, never give up”.
The most scary moment was when I rounded a corner and saw a pair of legs lying prone on the ground, an adidas vest and two people crouched over the still figure – was it Sandra or Sharon? Were there other athletes in adidas? It was difficult to identify the colours in the dark. I then saw Andy Smith sprinting back, it was one of the girls but which one? At the feed station I discovered it was Sharon Gayter, our strongest lady (she had won a six day event in Libya earlier in the year and was definitely no wimp) could she recover and get back on the course? Sadly not, she had collapsed with chest pains and was taken to hospital fortunately she was later declared fit to leave and made a good recovery. Sandra Brown, our other lady who is vastly experienced was an inspiration, she was so cheerful and coped extremely well with the conditions and steadily continued on, churning out the laps.
It had been suggested that if I wanted to I should take a break, just for ten minutes but I was frightened that if I stopped I wouldn’t get going again, but as morning dawned the sun rose and the temperature increased I had to take breaks, I lay down in the shade and raised my legs against a tree trunk. (After the event I was told that I looked very white, also with the symptoms I was whinging on about Fiona was concerned that I had internal bleeding, I’m not too sure about that but I certainly was not a happy bunny.) I would then get moving again, it wasn’t running, more ambling, but I was determined to keep moving, albeit very slowly, each lap I took a break, mentally and physically it was difficult, there was going to be neither PB nor team position but I wasn’t going to give in, I just wanted it to be over. I had thought on several occasions that the clock had stopped. I was frustrated, I can do sore feet and tired legs but sore guts was a new one on me, I shuffled along with my hands inside the waistband of my shorts to keep the pressure from my stomach – when was this going to end? The only thing I felt comfortable taking was warm water, water melon and a handful of Pringles, not exactly the high octane fuel I had planned to charge me through the 130+ miles I had wanted to achieve.
The last hour, my original plan was to be strong and wind it up in the final countdown, I was rubbish, I said to Fiona I didn’t want the Union Flag to wave at the end, I hadn’t earned it. However in the last thirty minutes I hooked up with Chris Finhill and we did the final lap together, he said that after the last climb he was going to run – ok I’ll also give it a go, we actually ran – I had a pain in my side, I suggested it was either appendicitis or a stitch – in his expert opinion Chris reckoned that it wasn’t a stitch as we weren’t running fast enough – at least he made me laugh. I changed my mind about having the flag and we ran with a corner each and pushed it for the final few minutes, I didn’t hear the horn but it was such a relief to stop. It was a “personal worst” but I had finished. That was the toughest experience I have had, it was a huge lesson in how to suffer, unfortunately it wasn’t in silence, Fiona and Val can verify that.
The lads finished with a credible 6th team place with solid performances from Chris, John Pares making his international debut and an impressive “tough guy” performance by Jim Rogers who had fallen whilst travelling to Heathrow and it was later confirmed that his rather badly swollen hand was actually broken!
Recovery – Physical and Mental
Two weeks have now passed and physically I am fine, at the weekend I was back to the usual routine – an hour in the pool (90 lengths) followed by a run (18 miles) followed by a night on the pi** at the Edinburgh Fringe. Mentally it was a tough experience but I have come through it, although disappointed with my performance, I believe it was the best I could do in those conditions without doing permanent damage to myself. I live to run another day – and that day will be in France in October – watch this space…..
Pauline Walker